


Five Stages of Love

by Scrcndpty



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Implied Sexual Content, Light Angst, Swearing, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-28
Updated: 2017-11-28
Packaged: 2019-02-08 01:35:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12853881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scrcndpty/pseuds/Scrcndpty
Summary: When you experience the joys of being at Stage Four and Five, all the worries and all the tears fallen at Stage Three seem worth it. You have found what all people are searching for;deepest and purest love.There are five stages of love, most couples get stuck at Stage Three - you felt like it would be the same for you and Tony.





	Five Stages of Love

**Author's Note:**

> I originally posted this on tumblr in six parts, and I really liked this, because I love my sweetheart Tony and I love him when he is pure and soft - my favorite kind of way to write him.

“ _When two people are under the influence of the most violent, most insane, most delusive, and most transient of passions, they are required to swear that they will remain in that excited, abnormal, and exhausting condition continuously until death do them part.” -_ George Bernard Shaw

  


Love is something every human being craves. We want it honest. We want it lasting. No matter our age or how much time we are given.

Without love, we would not survive.

But why do so many marriages and relationships fall apart?

Most people do not know the true reason for their failure. We mistakenly think we have chosen the wrong partner. We grieve, we move on, we start looking again, always hoping that the next one will be the right one. However, they are all looking in the wrong places.

There are five stages of love:

 **I.** Falling in Love

 **II.** Becoming a Couple

 **III.** Disillusionment

 **IV.** Creating Real, Lasting Love

 **V.** Using the Power of Two to Change the World

All couples go through those stages – but the most get stuck at Stage Three and fall part. While everything is love, peace, and harmony throughout the first two stages, Stage Three has its troubles most couples seem to be doomed to fail on. Only if they get to the core of what created the unhappiness in Stage Three they can go on, finding the lasting love they crave for. But this is a difficult endeavor.

You felt like it would be the same for you and Tony.

Tony felt like it would be the same for him and you.

_Failure at Stage Three._

Bu t for all that, remember that Stage Three  _“Is not the end, but the true beginning to achieve real and lasting love.”_ \-  Jed Diamond

W hen you experience the joys of being at Stage Four and Five, all the tears and worries at Stage Three seem worth it. You have found what all people are searching for;

_deepest and purest love._

  


* * *

  


**Stage I. Falling in Love**

The moment he realized it, Tony’s mind was torn apart. He felt panicked, and nauseous, and anxious, but at the same time there was happiness, and a warmth that filled his whole body, and simply _pure love_ _for you_ _._

You were sitting beside him on the couch, head resting on his shoulder, a pillow clutched to your chest. A comedy was shown on TV you wanted to always watch, and Tony, as a good best friend, suggested that you could crash at his place so you could watch on his _gigantic_ TV without the need to drive home later.

From time to time your body would rumble with laughter, a small giggle or a full blown laughter echoing throughout the room.

This night was strange for Tony. He kept noticing more and more things about you, little things. Things he thought he already had figured out after years of close friendship.

How your nose scrunched up when you laughed.

How you kept blowing away wild strands of hair falling out of your messy bun and into your face.

How your hands always fiddled with the dip of the pillows.

_How beautiful you looked even though you slouched there in your pj’s, mascara rubbed around your eyes, currently blowing your nose because you seemed to have caught a light cold._

Your laughter pulled him out of his thoughts, a hand gripping his arm. “Oh my god, Tony!” you said, a giggle escaping that you couldn’t hold back. “Tony, did you-” You looked up at him. “Tony, you aren’t even looking. Everything okay? You seem a little bit … off.”

Tony blinked. “Ah, yes … um … yeah, everything’s fine, perfectly fine.”

You watched him for a few seconds longer, eyes narrowed at his forced smile. “If you say so.”

Of course everything was perfectly _not_ fine.

  


  


You developed your crush on Tony way later. And if Rhodey, bless his soul, didn’t exist, you had continued wandering through your life denying your own love for someone.

(Rhodey did not only knew of your crush on Tony, but also of Tony’s crush on you. And he’d be damned if he wouldn’t play matchmaker for his best friends.)

“Jealousy doesn’t suit you,” he had said.

You turned to him, your whole face asking “What?”

“You’ll get wrinkles all over your forehead,” Rhodey explained further, poking said wrinkles and trying to ease them out.

You snorted and slapped away his hands, your frown even deepening at his laughter. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

“You. Your jealousy of the woman talking to Tony. And, of course, your crush on Tony, causing the jealousy of the woman talking to Tony.”

Rhodey only received a deadpanned expression on your face, until-

“Oh my god, Rhodey! You are so right! So right! And it is _terrible!_ ” The words left your mouth in a rapid pace, making it hard for Rhodey to follow. “Tony’s my best friend, and I don’t know what to do now!”

You literally broke down, in the middle of Burger Kind might be added, slumping down against Rhodey’s side, words pouring from your mouth unimpeded.

“It’s okay, Y/N, everything’s all right,” Rhodey said, throwing an arm over your shoulder. “Best friends fall in love all the time; nothing special.”

Sighing dramatically, you looked at Tony again.

“You do know this is just the seller so she has to speak with Tony?”

You grunted reluctantly.

“And you do know that Tony has to speak with her so we can get our food?”

You grunted reluctantly. Again. Your stomach supported you by grumbling even louder.

“Nice talk.”

Over the craving of your stomach and the time you spent with Rhodey and Tony laughing about everything and nothing, you almost forgot over your little … let’s call it problem. However, only almost.

As you and Tony said good bye to each other, every kind of feeling hit you at once. The brief hug you shared, one out of thousands hugs previous given to each other, brought up the actually undeniable love you felt every time you touched Tony or saw one of his rare smiles; those smiles where he was genuinely happy and comfortable.

But when you parted, locking eyes one last time before you vanished in your apartment, you felt longing, as if you would leave something behind you could not live without.

And as you lay down in bed, alone, with only a spare pillow to hug, you felt so incredible lonely. You missed something. You missed _him._

After two hours of trying to fall asleep without success, you turned and grabbed for your phone. Smiling fondly at the idiotic contact picture you took of him while trying to make a decent selfie, you stared at it for a while, contemplating whether you should do this or not. In the end you took a deep breath and pressed the call button.

“Hey, Tony, I hope I didn’t wake you- No, okay, perfect. Um, is it okay if I would come by?”

  


* * *

  


**Stage II. Becoming a Couple**

“You look … shitty.”

You stared at Tony deadpan. “Ha. Really funny, Tony.”

“You think so? I’d rather call it alarming that you looked gorgeous a few hours ago, and now … _this._ ”

Narrowing your eyes at him, you laid a hand on his chest, shoved him to the side and stepped out of the elevator J.A.R.V.I.S. was so kind to keep open for you (and Tony to insult you), and onto Tony’s floor.

Tony chuckled as you simply brushed past him and flopped down on his couch face first. A few inaudible words were muffled into the cushions.

“What did you say?” he asked, sat down next to your head and began to card his fingers through your hair.

You lifted your head up and onto Tony’s thigh, eyes closed and a hum making its way up your throat.

“I’m surprised you aren’t in the ‘shop.”

“I came upstairs after you called.”

“Oh? Really? I’m feeling honored.”

“You better,” Tony retorted. “You in for a midnight snack?”

“Is this a seriously meant question?”

Tony smiled brightly and - unceremoniously pinched your cheek, making you whine and draw away quickly.

“Why?” you asked, stretching the word.

“Dunno, felt like it,” Tony laughed and stood up, retrieving into the kitchen.

“For this insolence I’m not going to help you one bit.”

“Then there will be more chocolate soufflé for me,” he sang.

You groaned, slipping off the couch and trudging after Tony. Then you frowned.

“Where did you get chocolate soufflé in the middle of the night?”

“Oh, honey. I’m Tony Stark. I get everything I want.”

Snorting, you shook your head, slipped past Mr. I-get-everything-I-want and grabbed the bowls containing what looked like soufflé. You stuck your tongue out at Tony as you bounced back into the living area.

“Are you fucking serious?” Tony yelled after you, but he only heard your cackling. He rolled his eyes, but at the same time he couldn’t fight back his smirk. A smirk that only grew as you uttered a high pitched sound of surprise.

“Oh, shit!”

“Everything all right, Y/N?” he asked hypocritically.

“Why the fuck is there an Iron Man suit?”

Tony shrugged, grinning as he walked past you. You didn’t even budge as he snatched back one of the soufflés.

“I like my babies to be around me,” he said, patting the helmet as you stood there, lips parted.

Even though you _were_ Tony’s best (female) friend, you never really saw one of the suits up close, and it wasn’t until then that you even realized this.

You walked to the suit, inspecting it closely, finger tips gliding over the smooth surface. The eyes of the mask were glowing brightly, just like the arc reactor in Tony’s chest always did.

“Man, Tony, I always forget just how fucking smart you are!”

Tony laughed, flopping back down on the couch, patting the seat beside him. You complied, taking a seat beside him, and leaning into his side.

“Genius, Billionaire, Playboy, Philanthropist, sweetheart.” He winked, all while digging his spoon into the soufflé.

You rolled your eyes, but still giggled at his line.

A comfortable silence surrounded you, as you both enjoyed your midnight snack. It was when you put your used dishes onto the table, too lazy to put them back into the kitchen for the moment, that Tony looked at you, a concentrated look on his face.

“What is it?” you asked.

“Why are you here?”

“Can’t I just simply visit a good friend in the middle of the night?”

“Well, sure you can, but what is bothering you, Y/N? You seem … distressed.”

The nervous smile plastered on your face dropped, Tony having seen right through your facade. (What were you expecting? You guys knew each other for years now.)

“And you came here looking like shit.”

This time you couldn’t even laugh at it, the inner conflict you were having right now needing your full attention.

You could tell him, right now. And, as always in literally every story where best friends fall for each other (or only one for the other), there were two ends to this story: Either you would become a couple, or it would ruin your friendship. There was no way you could live with Tony rejecting you for a long time.

Your lack of responding made Tony frown. “Y/N, if there is really something bothering you, you can tell me, alright? I mean, you don’t have to, we can always just watch a film, or stuff ourselves with more food, or-”

“Thanks, Tones,” you interrupted him, smiling shyly. “You know, there’s a lot going on with me right now, and I am just not sure how to handle all these emotions.”

“Emotions?” Tony asked, as if he had heard that word for the first time. You chuckled, not aware of what was going on in _Tony_ right now.

It was not much what you had said, but it was as if you had spoken out of his heart. The warmth he felt for the first time when he realized he was in love with you, was constantly there since then, and Tony became more aware of it once again. He was unsure about asking more, somehow afraid you would tell him you had a crush on someone else than him. (It wasn’t like this, but he would sweat for some time.) So he just let his body act, letting the consequences be the problem of future Tony.

Not it was Tony who didn’t answer, making now you frown. Instead he leaned in on you until your noses were brushing, lips only inches apart from each other, eyes half closed.

“Is it okay if …” Tony gulped, “is it okay if I …?”

You could only hum, which Tony took as a “Yes, it is.”

It was as if the warmth Tony felt multiplied by one thousand or so, as your lips touched. Careful, slow, little short of chaste. Both of you could feel the accelerated heartbeat of the other one, chests heaving in short and fast breaths, and suddenly you were unsure about touching each other, even though it was just a hand laying on a cheek, or on the small of a back.

When you parted, you stared up at Tony, who looked at you panicking. You cleared your throat.

“Well, you know, I felt incredibly alone,” you began to explain, “and I just wanted to be with you. With my best friend. Because I fell in love with him, and it is so hard to-”

Tony laid a finger on your lips, shushing you. “It is all right, honey, okay? Everything is all right. I am your best friend, and I am there for you no matter what. And if it means I have to become something else to you, then so be it. And, to be honest: being a boyfriend sounds _fantastic!_ ”

  


* * *

  


**Stage III. Disillusionment**

The other side of the bed was empty again.

Empty and cold.

You sighed, dragging a couple fingers over Tony’s pillow before drawing it to your body.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y., when did Tony get up?”

“Three hours ago, at 02:47 a.m.”

You shut your eyes tiredly, clutching the pillow to your chest as if it would be able to replace the human being that once provided you warmth and love. You missed his heart beat and the up and down of his chest lulling you to sleep.

Since New York, Tony got up early, only after a few hours of sleep, or didn’t even went to bed in the first place. You knew something was off, but you didn’t know what exactly. The few times you had gathered the courage to ask, he played it off or tried to change the topic frantically.

After Ultron, Tony became more and more distant, and everything you tried to pull him closer again failed.

  


  


Tony chucked down the last half of his seventh cup of coffee in one go. When he wanted to set down the now empty cup, it tumbled as he only set it halfway on the table and fell to the ground. He cursed, getting into a crouched position to pick up the pieces.

Delicate fingers accompanied his calloused ones, carefully gathering up the shards.

You were on your knees directly in front of Tony, dressed in one of his band shirts and pajama shorts, hair ruffled, and eyes heavy with sleep.

“Y/N.”

A tired smile was your answer as you threw the broken cup into the trash bin DUM-E held up beside you, plucking the pieces out of Tony’s hands and throwing them away as well.

Tony stared at you. “Why … why aren’t you in bed?”

You met his gaze. Tony was tired, you could clearly see it, he was tired and hurt. It took him a few seconds to mask it, but you would not forget it.

“It’s cold without you,” you answered. “Why don’t you come to bed?”

Unable to answer right away, Tony gulped, eyes flicking as he tried to hold your gaze. He couldn’t, so he quickly got to his feet again, dismissing DUM-E who still held the trash bin.

“I-I am not tired,” Tony stuttered, which wasn’t even one bit like Tony. “And t-this is important. I still need to upgrade Cap’s suit, and Clint’s arrows, and the w-wings of this new dude need an important ‘Stark-was-here’-touch.”

You stood, too, watching as Tony let F.R.I.D.A.Y. project some blueprints.

“Oh, and I forgot a-about Natasha’s Widow Bites, she said something was off with them after the last upgrade, m-maybe it is the new material? Or maybe something else? I don’t know she didn’t -”

“Tony.”

“- specify it. Yes?”

“How about a couple hours of sleep before you start with this?”

Tony’s mouth hang open, as if you had suggested he should paint his new Iron Man armor pink.

“What?”

“Sleep, Tony. Every human being needs it, else they slowly go insane. You should try it, it is really good.”

A tiny chuckle forced itself out of Tony’s throat, but immediately after he dragged a hand down his face, plopping into a stool. You stepped near him, and to your surprise he pulled you into his lap, hiding his face into the crook of your neck.

“Every time,” Tony began to speak, hands on your back to press your body against his, “every time I try to sleep it goes well for a few hours. Two, three, sometimes four.”

He paused, inhaling deeply. You gave him time, not only because you were surprised that Tony finally decided to tell you what was wrong with him.

“But then … then come the dreams, the _nightmares_.”

You laid one hand on Tony’s neck, massaging the skin there, the other hand carding through his hair. Tony sighed in content at the feeling.

“I dream of aliens, and portals in space, and a city crashing down, occasionally with a bomb exploding in a desert in Afghanistan. And I think of the things I have done, terrible things I have done, and then I think about people important to me dying because of me.”

Tony went silent after that, turning his head so his forehead was pressed against your cheek. His eyes were closed, tears brimming at the corners.  Your thumb moved to wipe them away.

“I-I don’t know what I am going to do. I try, and try, and try, and it fucking never seems enough.”

He pulled back enough to look you into the eye, his face  cupped by your hands. “And I am so, so grateful you didn’t leave me the last weeks. I know I’ve been terrible, often leaving  _you_ alone, not telling you what is wrong, and … I was not there for you while you tried to be there for me.”

Your vision blurred with your own tears you had to rapidly blink away. Tony pulled you close once again.

“Tony, baby, sweetheart. Between us, _everything_ is all right, okay? I-I wouldn’t leave you, not without getting a reason I understand. And … you just told me the reason, but it absolutely isn’t one I would leave you for.

“I understand you needed time, I understood that when you avoided my questions even after the third time. So I waited for you to tell on your own accord, and, I won’t lie, it was hard. I downright hated it, but it was worth it. It was worth it because I don’t want to lose you.

“I think you know it, but if anything bothers you, you can come to me. Doesn’t matter if you want to speak, to cry or just need someone who holds you; I’ll be there for you, because I love you.”

Tony cried as he kissed you, his tears wetting your cheeks and mixing with your own. He went to bed with you, exhausted but happy he finally could tell you, happy you didn’t leave him.

And for the first time in ages he got some couple hours of decent sleep, arms wrapped around your waist, your steady heart beat keeping him grounded.

“I love you, too.”

  


* * *

  


**Stage IV. Creating Real, Lasting Love**

The sun shone brightly when Tony awoke. He blinked, shielding his eyes from the light with his hand. F.R.I.D.A.Y. was quick to darken the windows to block out the sunlight.

Tony drew in a deep breath, turned and draped his arm over your form. Smiling, he pulled you close to his body. He wasn’t sure if you still slept, but you turned as well, cheek now pressed against his bare chest.

“Tony, baby, please, tell me you don’t have to get up, already.”

“Nah,” Tony answered and tangled his legs with yours.

“Perfect.” Your hand slipped under the covers and squeezed Tony’s butt through his boxers. “You slept good, babe?”

Tony hummed, pressing his hips against yours. “Best since, like, forever.”

You finally opened your eyes, seeing Tony grinning down at you. He seemed calm, well rested, and so so soft. Sighing happily, you pressed a kiss to his shoulder, moving on to the scarred skin in the middle of his chest, where once the arc reactor sat.

“I have a fantastic idea to kill some time without leaving this bed.”

“Oh, and what would that- ah.”

His question was cut off by his own low moan as you rolled your hips into his. A breathless chuckle left Tony, hands moving to grip your waist.

“That, my dear” he murmured, eyes darkening, his hot breath tickling the soft spot under your ear, “is a fantastic idea, indeed.”

  


  


“Did you ever think about putting a ring on that finger?”

Tony’s press smile fell, his gaze now locked to the ground. It seemed as if every single reporter stopped breathing, even the storm of flashlights stopped.

(Did all the reporters agreed on this in advance with each other?)

Then, Tony looked up again, a small genuine smile on his lips.

“Yes, I thought about this, for quite some time now. To be honest.” He looked to his right where you were standing. Your face was blank, no emotion was shown.

“Rhodey, my honey bear, slipped the ring in my pocket a long time ago, and no matter what I was wearing; I found it again every time.

“Y/N, sweetheart, light of my life; you wanna marry me?”

Your gaze wandered from the reporters to Tony, a thoughtful expression on your face. You shrugged. “Sure, why not?”

“Fantastic,” Tony smiled. You grinned back, closing the distance between the both of you by leaning forward to plant a peck on his lips, ignoring the stares of all the reporters.

Tony chuckled and closed his arms around you. “I love you. So much. So, so much,” he whispered so that only you could hear his words.

  


  


“Rhodey!”

Your face lit up, just as Rhodey’s, as you finally spot a familiar face in this gathering of superheroes, who may or may not be somehow intimidating. Even though you met them all on several occasions now, considering they lived in the same facility as you, you just couldn’t find a connection to them. Except for Rhodey, of course, and Bruce, but he went missing after the battle of Sokovia. And Vision, somehow. You were a little bit surprised, but the android was an excellent dialog partner, and he reminded you a lot of J.A.R.V.I.S., but you could imagine why.

You skipped past Steve Rogers, who pulled his buddy Sam Wilson closer to make you room, flinging yourself into Rhodey’s arms.

“Hey, Y/N!”

Laughing, you pressed a kiss on Rhodey’s cheek. “Man, it feels like I haven’t seen you in ages.”

“It’s been some weeks,” Rhodey admit, opening his arms to let you pull back a bit. He took your left hand in his, s/c fingers resting upon his own. Your engagement ring twinkled in the light.

“I still cannot believe Tones finally managed to ask you,” he said, looking back up at you, a soft smile on his face.

You nodded. “Same for me. After … after Ultron and everything I didn’t think our relationship would last anymore.”

“You’re good for Tony, Y/N. I don’t think there will be something that can tear you guys apart. I swear, back in M.I.T. I didn’t think you would be called Mrs. Stark, some day.”

A wide smile spread across your face, but it quickly vanished again. “Yeah, well, I … uh … I am afraid this has to wait for while. I saw this idiot Ross leaving the building earlier.”

You turned your head, seeing Tony enter the room, and suddenly it was as if everyone in here tensed up. Sighing, you squeezed Rhodey’s hands, smiling one last time before you went to Tony.

“You know where to find me if you need me,” you said lowly, trying your best to remain calm. The bags under his eyes became more prominent again after the Accords firstly came up, but instead of bottling it all up, Tony talked to you, shared his worries with you, and the small smile he threw you didn’t seem to be forced.

He laid a hand on the side of your face, pulling you in a quick embrace. “Thanks,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to your temple before letting you go. “I love you.”

It didn’t take long for Tony to enter your shared rooms, seeing you lying on the couch. He also laid down, right on top of you, closing his eyes. You began to massage his scalp in silence, knowing he would start to talk if he felt ready for it.

  


* * *

  


**Stage V.** **Using the Power of Two to Change the World**

Tony sat on the opposite side of you, leaning back in his chair as he watched you going through the letter. You looked at it with raised eyebrows, still raised when you lowered your hands after finishing, looking directly at Tony.

“Does America’s Golden Boy really think with a letter and a _burner phone_ everything is going to be all right?”

Tony shrugged, but nodded at the same time. “Apparently.”

Your face contorted into an expression of utter incomprehension. “Wow,” you said, “this is …  I have no words, honestly, he must think your are so lost without him that you come running as soon as he calls.”

T ony sighed deeply, one hand dragging down his face. You bit your lip.

It had been hard. First, Tony had to be saved from the cold in Siberia, left in hurt and betrayal by someone he once considered a teammate, a friend. The he came home to a paralyzed friend, the remnants of a team, and he was expected to pick up the pieces, all while the UN breathed down his neck, putting even more weight on Tony’s shoulder because of the Accords.

The ringing of Tony’s phone made said person groan, even more so as he read the name on the display.

“It’s Ross,” he told you, contemplating for a few seconds if he should really accept the call.

“Put him on hold,” you suggested, grinning as evilly as Tony.

“You know me too well, babe,” he said, sounding more cheerful than before. Good thing he already impended Ross with putting him on hold.

“Tony, we have a problem-”

“Ah!” Tony cut Ross off almost instantly. He raised a finger. “Please, hold.”

It was hard to hold in your snicker, and you tried to stifle it with putting a hand over your mouth. Ross sounded angry and exasperated at once.

“No, don’t-” he practically screamed, but soon the room was silent again as Tony pushed the button to put Ross on hold.

Tony laughed with you, as you both could only imagine Ross’s face at the annoying elevator music he was hearing, and F.R.I.D.A.Y.’s voice telling him  to “have patience.”

  


  


You were lounging on the couch, right next to Rhodey, head lying on your best friend’s shoulder, barely able to hold open your eyes. Rhodey poked your cheek.

“Hey, Y/N, you can sleep at night; we’re watching Star Trek right now.”

He chuckled as you only hummed, but didn’t even move a muscle. “Come on, Y/N, the popcorn is empty. I would go myself, but … you know, I can't.”

This time you did open your eyes, huffing. “That, honey bear, was a dirty move.”

Rhodey shrugged, grinning as you practically ripped the empty bowl out of his hands. “I should smack you!” you growled, playfully.

He still grinned when you came back, a fresh and hot bowl of new popcorn in your hands.  Accepting it, he put it down into his lap, throwing an arm over your shoulders as you used him as a pillow once again.

“What kept you awake last night?” he asked. “It cannot have been Tony; he is in India.”

“You know that we have phones, right?”

“And right there is the line I don’t want to cross.” Rhodey pulled a face.

This time you really smacked him.

“No, we didn’t have phone sex!” you said, albeit laughing. “Tony left F.R.I.D.A.Y. a list of things he wants to be done on the new suit of this Spider-Boy. I was bored so I busied myself a bit with the suit, then I read over the new version of the Accords, played with DUM-E, fixed the things we broke in the progress, then had the call with Tony. Spider-Boy got in trouble and I waited for the return of the Iron Man suit. Strangely enough, I didn’t notice it launching.”

“You fell asleep for a few minutes during that time, Miss L/N,” F.R.I.D.A.Y. chimed in, you making a sound of understanding.

“Well, this explains,” you said, while Rhodey chuckled.

“God, you become more and more like Tony.”

“You let it sound as if it be a bad thing.”

“No, no. I mean, not entirely.” He ignored your glare. “You barely got sleep because you tinkered too long in the workshop, to be honest I sometimes forget that you work for Stark Industries because you are kinda a genius, too.”

“I am ‘kinda a genius, too?’” you asked in disbelief, but Rhodey ignored you again.

“What comes next?” he continued in a mocking tone, “You build your own suit? Become an Avenger?”

Rhodey laughed,  _laughed,_ as you smacked him again. “I’d be  a badass Avenger, Rhodey,” you said, then deciding you were too tired to hold up your glare and settled back against his side. “But I am totally content with staying in the background, helping Tony with the gear.”

You watched for a bit longer how Spock chased Khan before your eyes drifted shut again. Rhodey had pulled you closer again, head lying on top of yours.

“I can imagine Tony would have it rather this way as well; neither him nor I want you to get hurt.”

You smiled, humming, before you finally fell asleep.

  


  


“It’s perfect.”

“Beautiful.”

“A masterpiece.”

“I’m kinda jealous it isn’t for me.”

“Oh my god.”

Tony chuckled at your deadpan face,  pulling you into his side, eyes shifting from your form to the Iron Spider suit in front of you both.

“You think Peter will like it?”

“Are you kidding me? The boy wants to be an Avenger so bad, he will be over all clouds,” you answered, squeezing Tony’s hip. “And if he doesn’t like it, you can tell him to drop by me; after a little conversation he won’t want anything else anytime soon.”

Tony sighed, turning to  circle his arms around your form . He closed his eyes as he buried his face in the crook of your neck. You  accepted his embrace, one hand going for his hair, scratching at his scalp.

“Everything will be fine,” your murmured. “We’ll figure it all out; Ross, the Accords, the rogue Avengers. And if we must, we just build up a new team. Vision, Rhodey, even the Spider-Boy, we all have your back. Don’t ever think you are all alone in this.”

Tony smiled against your skin, expressing his gratitude in a deep kiss that left you both breathless.

“Thanks, babe.”

“Anything for you.”

You stood there for a while longer, just enjoying to be in the presence of each other, until F.R.I.D.A.Y. cut in with a low voice.

“Boss, Mr. Hogan and Mr. Parker will arrive in a few minutes.”

Tony pulled back, a little bit reluctant, hands sliding down to rest at your waist.

“I should go upstairs and look that Vision won’t burn anything.”

“Yeah,” Tony said, pressing a last quick peck to your lips. “I’ll be there after the press conference.”

“We’ll wait.” You smiled. “And now go, before Pepper rips off your head.”

Tony laughed. “Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are always appreciated!
> 
> Find me on [tumblr](http://secondxreality.tumblr.com)!


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